Best PS4 Games On PS Plus Extra & Premium

Kingdom Hearts 3

PS Plus Extra’s November lineup is dominated by Square Enix’s Disney crossover franchise. Subscribers who have never dipped into Kingdom Hearts have more than 150 hours of gameplay at their fingertips, a figure that easily doubles if each game’s side content is taken into consideration. Newcomers should start from the first game found in Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix & steadily work their way through the story, especially since Kingdom Hearts 2 & Birth by Sleep are often cited as the franchise’s highest points. As those titles debuted on the PS2 & PSP respectively, they cannot be classified as full-blown PS4 releases.

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A long-time coming, Kingdom Hearts 3 finally debuted in 2019, garnering a generally positive reception. While not perfect, the action RPG delivers highly enjoyable fast-paced hack & slash combat & gorgeous visuals that bring to life a few of Disney & Pixar’s recent movies. The story has pacing issues, but it does end on a high note.

Bethesda’s Skyrim is an unstoppable juggernaut that seems destined to forever remain a presence in the gaming industry. The RPG was added to PS Plus Extra on November 15, 2022, filling a void that only it could satisfy. By this point, most people have presumably played through Skyrim, & while the Special Edition has its perks, the PS4 version does not provide as many benefits as the PC iteration.

Still, PS Plus would not be complete without Skyrim in its library. Even as bigger & prettier role-playing games debut, there will always be a place for Bethesda’s 2011 masterpiece.

Horizon Zero Dawn – Complete Edition

As Aloy, players traverse a post-apocalyptic world overrun with robotic dinosaurs & featuring pockets of humanity who are less than welcoming to the protagonist. Horizon Zero Dawn is a gorgeous open-world game, a technical masterpiece that pushes the PS4 to its limits & seldom falters in the process.

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The combat is exceptional, particularly when it involves Aloy taking on metallic behemoths that could rival quite a few towering beasts from the Monster Hunter franchise. The story takes a while to pick up steam, but once it gets going, Horizon Zero Dawn doesn’t let up.

Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes Of An Elusive Age

JRPG fans can rejoice because the latest mainline entry in the genre’s gr&father franchise, Dragon Quest, is now on PS Plus Extra. Dragon Quest 11 brought the series back to home consoles in the West after a long hiatus, & the wait was worth it. At its heart, this is a traditional turn-based JRPG, & that extends to both the gameplay & story. The latter is a straightforward but charming “good vs. evil” narrative, one that is elevated by a decent roster of characters.

The combat system should not hold too many surprises for anyone familiar with the franchise or JRPGs from the ’90s & 2000s, & that is not a criticism. DQ11 wisely opts to stick to the formula that has proven successful for over three decades, all the while modernizing just enough elements to not Advance across as dated. The “S” version is the definitive way to experience this game, & it even comes with a 16-bit mode.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End & The Lost Legacy

PS Plus Premium has the entire Uncharted franchise except for the mobile & h&held entries, while the PS4 games are also available to PS Plus Extra subscribers. As the final chapters of one of Sony’s most beloved licenses, Uncharted 4 & The Lost Legacy are ambitious action-adventure games with globe-trotting escapades, brilliant set-pieces, & stories with strong emotional cores.

Compared to the previous entries, these releases greatly improve the gunplay, adding weight to combat while offering more variety in terms of situations & pacing. A Thief’s End brings Nathan Drake’s story to a satisfying close, while The Lost Legacy is a stellar side adventure that should not be missed.

What Remains Of Edith Finch

Although not so much the case nowadays, “walking sims” used to have a negative connotation. The genre garnered derision for producing low-effort titles that offered little in the way of gameplay & lacked the narrative nuance required to carry such a bare-bones experience. Like every genre, there are plenty of terrible walking sims, but there are also quite a few great ones. What Remains of Edith Finch falls in the latter category.

Edith returns to her family home, a decision that triggers a journey through a history of tragedy & grief. The short campaign consists of the protagonist visiting different rooms to learn the circumstances around her relatives’ deaths. The premise is simple but effective, & What Remains of Edith Finch has strong enough writing to make each tale memorable & powerful. Essentially as long as a movie, Giant Sparrow’s title can be completed in a single sitting, & that might be the best way to consume this story.

Yakuza 0

On August 16, three Yakuza titles were added to PS Plus Extra & Premium’s libraries: Yakuza 0, Kiwami, & Kiwami 2. All these open-world beat-’em-up games are great, but the prequel is generally regarded as the pick of the bunch. Casting players as both Kazuma Kiryu & Goro Majima, Yakuza 0 explores how these iconic characters started their legacies.

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Featuring two small but packed cities & unique combat mechanics for each protagonist, Yakuza 0 is dense in the best possible way. The main story is fantastic & builds up momentum nicely as it works its way towards an epic conclusion. An argument can be made that the side content is even better, especially if someone is yearning for a laugh.

Marvel’s Spider-Man

There are quite a few superhero games on PS Plus Premium, be it the Arkham titles, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, or the inFAMOUS series. These are all fantastic, but they do not define the PS4 quite like Marvel’s Spider-Man. From the second it was revealed, this open-world game seemed special, & the final product more than delivered on the hype.

Ignoring stuff like story & characters, Marvel’s Spider-Man is fun on a fundamental basis. The simple act of swinging across Manhattan is a joy, so much so that it almost renders the fast travel system obsolete. In combat scenarios, Spidey is a force to be reckoned with, & he unlocks quite a few tools as the adventure progresses.

Days Gone

Even though Days Gone did not receive a reception as glowing as some other PS4 exclusives, the open-world zombie game is pretty great in its own right. Set in a post-apocalyptic version of the United States, players are Deacon St. John, a biker who goes on a quest to try & save his wife. So far, so ordinary; however, the story does pick up quite a bit of steam as it goes along, particularly once it starts to flesh out Deacon a bit.

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Days Gone lets players build their own bikes, which will stay by their side for the entire campaign. This customization process is perhaps the most enjoyable part of the whole package, although the game h&les most things well.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 – Road To Boruto

CyberConnect 2’s Ultimate Ninja Storm series produced some stellar arena brawlers, some of which rank among the very best anime games of all time. While Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst tends to be regarded as the franchise’s peak, its successor comes extremely close to seizing the crown.

Boasting gorgeous animation that rivals or surpasses the source material, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is a spectacle fighter that doubles down on epic visuals. While a bit too simplistic at times, the combat system is nevertheless fun & fast-paced. Naruto fans are definitely the main target audience here, however, this release offers more than enough to keep the uninitiated engaged, permitting they like this type of fighting game.

Inside

Added to PS Plus Extra & Premium in October 2022, Inside is a beloved indie puzzle-platformer. Originally released in 2016, the game garnered near-universal praise for its art direction, challenging puzzles, & clever world-building. Players control a boy as he travels across a haunting world filled with mind-controlled people.

Inside keeps its story quite vague, allowing players to Advance to their own conclusions on what exactly the ending(s) mean. This makes for a satisfying & thought-provoking experience that encourages discussion. PS Plus Premium subscribers can also try Playdead’s previous game, Limbo, which is likewise fantastic.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

While turn-based RPGs are primarily associated with Japanese developers, the Western market has produced its share of awesome titles. Both of Ubisoft’s South Park games are a blast, not only for fans of the legendary cartoon but also for people who are just looking for a well-written RPG with an irreverent sense of humor. Newcomers to these games should start with The Stick of Truth as it is short & sweet; however, The Fractured but Whole is one of the best PS Plus PS4 games.

The sequel improves on its predecessor in nearly every area, including the combat system. This time around, there is a bit more strategy involved in battles, even if the game is rarely all that difficult. The story directs its satire at the superhero movie explosion, & the humor’s focus is on the production of these projects rather than the stories themselves.

Soulcalibur 6

While its name might not be as inescapable as Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, Soulcalibur has consistently delivered some of the most enjoyable fighting games on the market, & 2018’s sixth entry is no exception.

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Soulcalibur 6 builds upon the franchise’s brilliant combat system by introducing a couple of new ideas that add even more strategy to encounters. The gameplay is as fluid, fun, & complex as always, all the while still being reasonably accessible permitting a new player is willing to dedicate some time to learning the basics. Soulcalibur 6 comes with two story modes that cover the same timeline in wildly different ways. Even if a PS Plus Premium subscriber never touches the multiplayer portion of the game, Libra of Souls & Soul Chronicle should keep them busy for a good while.

Dragon Quest Builders 2

For October 2022, PS Plus Extra showed plenty of love for Dragon Quest by welcoming five games. Along with DQ11, the Heroes & Builders spin-offs were also added. The former is a hack-&-slash Musou series akin to Dynasty Warriors, & the second entry is a pretty great interpretation of that style of game. However, out of the four spin-offs added to PS Plus Extra, Dragon Quest Builders 2 is undoubtedly the best.

Taking a few pages from Minecraft, Builders 2 is a s&box building game with lite action RPG elements. As the Hero, players travel from isl& to isl&, helping people rebuild their homes after they were destroyed by the Children of Hargon. Consequently, the gameplay loop largely consists of finding resources to craft structures & equipment, with the latter granting players quite a bit of freedom in how they approach builds. The combat is quite basic & not that interesting, but it is just a small part of the Dragon Quest Builders 2 package.

Dragon Quest Builders is a good game too, but there is no point in playing it over its sequel.

Death Str&ing

Kojima Productions created a game that has walking as its central mechanic & largely tasks players with acting as a delivery service. In a post-apocalyptic wastel&, Sam sets out to travel from colony to colony, delivering supplies while setting up a communication system. While the protagonist will face a h&ful of strange creatures along the way, he primarily dedicates his energy to ensuring that he does not drop his packages.

Slow-paced & unapologetically weird, Death Str&ing is an acquired taste that anyone interested in open-world games should at least sample.

Celeste

Celeste is a tough-as-nails platformer with a heart-wrenching story about perseverance & self-discovery. The game follows Madeline as she climbs Mount Celeste, a trip that will test even the most seasoned platformer players.

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Celeste is a PS4 indie game that deserves to be played, however, its high difficulty means that the title will not be for everyone. A rewarding experience, Celeste seamlessly blends gameplay & story to produce a journey that refuses to be forgotten once it is endured.

DOOM

After something of a dry spell, DOOM returned in a Enormous way in 2016. Frantic, challenging, & extremely satisfying, id Software’s shooter is a tour-de-force of visceral brutality. Modernizing the run & gun approach of classic ’90s shooters, DOOM uses the past to create an adventure that feels timeless.

When it comes to games that are just pure, unfiltered adrenaline, DOOM is the st&ard-bearer & practically no game comes close to matching it. So, pick up a shotgun & get ready to blast hundreds of demons in the face while moving at a million miles an hour.

Tetris Effect: Connected

Tetris has been around since 1984, & it is still flawless. Ultimately, Tetris Effect: Connected does not alter too much about the core gameplay since improving upon perfection is a futile endeavor; however, the game adds enough modern twists to deliver perhaps the most complete iteration of this iconic property. The Enormous change is that the player’s actions are synched to the music.

Originally released as Tetris Effect, the Connected version focuses on multiplayer & co-op, both of the online & local variety. Whether someone is looking for a solo experience or to play with friends, Tetris Effect: Connected is one of the best PS4 games on PS Plus.

Desperados 3

The great thing about PS Plus Premium is its variety. Action, racing, platforming, & every other type of genre are covered on Sony’s service, & that includes real-time tactics. Desperados 3 offers a polished revenge-fueled trip through the Wild West. Boasting a complete roster of outlaws who each bring a unique spin to combat, Desperados 3 blends complexity with accessibility through its allowance for a flexible approach to situations.

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Stealth is the main focus of the game, but that doesn’t mean someone cannot blast their way through an army of enemies & become a legend in the process.

Frostpunk

City-building sims are not synonymous with consoles, but the PS4 era did start to challenge this perception. While PC remains the main platform for these types of releases, Frostpunk & Cities Skylines show that the simulation genre can work using controllers. Frostpunk is a brutal survival game set in a post-apocalyptic wastel& as players try to create something in a frozen hellscape.

Every decision matters in Frostpunk, & most of them are not without consequences. Like most sims, Frostpunk largely comes down to managing resources, although the game does emphasize the human element. Keeping people alive is difficult enough without taking into account their happiness, & the former often comes at the cost of the latter.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2

All things considered, PS Plus does not have an overabundance of games based on anime. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is the st&out title on the service, but people more interested in Saiyans can turn to Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2. An arena fighter with some light RPG elements, this 2016 release allows players to create their own characters from a number of races, be it humans, Majins, or Namekians. As a member of the Time Patrol, the protagonist must complete missions to ensure that history plays out as it should. Naturally, this means intervening in most of the source material’s legendary sagas.

Xenoverse 2‘s main storyline is enjoyable enough, & while the combat system is quite simple, the sheer number of unlockable moves means players can constantly shake up their build. The game’s roster of playable characters is also massive & covers from the original Dragon Ball to Super.

inFAMOUS: Second Son

In the gr& scheme of PS4 exclusives, inFAMOUS: Second Son tends to be overshadowed by titles released later in the console’s life. Sucker Punch’s sequel is not a significant departure from the PS3 entries in the series, even if it introduces a new city & hero. That said, the game’s fundamentals are incredibly strong.

Like many of the studio’s releases, inFAMOUS: Second Son is simply fun. As players unlock more abilities, the gameplay blossoms into something special, & even just traveling from one place to the next is exciting. inFAMOUS: First Light is also on PS Plus &, in some ways, is even better than the main game.

Bloodborne

Bloodborne is a contender for the best PlayStation 4 game ever. Stepping into the shoes of a Hunter who must survive the Hunt & bring to an end a deadly plague, FromSoftware’s gothic masterpiece takes players on an unrelenting & challenging journey through Yharnam’s unforgiving streets.

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Bloodborne‘s combat is fast, difficult, & incredibly smooth. Compared to Dark Souls, the weapon selection is limited; however, each item feels unique & comes with a transformation. Bloodborne is a masterpiece of environmental design, gameplay, & atmosphere. It is arguably FromSoftware’s greatest game, which is not a statement that can be made lightly.

Rayman Legends

The September 2022 PS Plus additions include quite a few Ubisoft titles. Watch Dogs 2 is a very good open-world title, but plenty of similar PS4 games are already recommended in this article. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game Complete Edition is a great beat ’em up that any fan of the genre (or source material) should check out. Finally, there is Rayman Legends, the excellent sequel to 2011’s Rayman Origins.

Platformers might not be synonymous with modern Sony consoles, but the 2010s still produced some absolute gems. Rayman Legends st&s toe-to-toe with any 2D platformer released during the decade, & it has aged majestically. Boasting a vibrant color palette & jubilant tone, the game plays like a dream, comes packed with content, & offers a solid challenge.

Far Wail 3: Classic Edition

In 2012, Ubisoft dropped Far Wail 3 to resounding applause from critics & players alike. Set in a gorgeous open-world that is Enormous but not overwhelmingly so, the first-person shooter proved to be such a success that the publisher has been generally trying to recreate its magic ever since. While each subsequent game introduces improvements, none of them have managed to strike gold quite like this 2010s classic.

Far Wail 3‘s strong points have not weakened at all over the last decade. The gunplay is still addictive, Vaas is still an awesome villain, & Rook Isl&s can still throw out a few surprises.

PS Plus Premium & Extra have a wide spectrum of genres when it comes to PS4 games, & XCOM 2 covers a couple on its own. Blending strategy & tactical elements, this sci-fi sequel provides complex, adaptive gameplay that puts players into challenging situations with dire consequences for failure.

Throughout the long campaign, players put together teams of soldiers who serve as humanity’s last resistance against the alien invaders who have taken over Earth. If these soldiers die in battle, they are gone for good, a mechanic that turns every move in each encounter into a nail-biting decision. Great console strategy games used to be in short supply, but XCOM 2 helped change that.

Chicory: A Colorful Tale

Picnic is a world that tasks one citizen with coloring everything. It is an important & dem&ing role, one that Chicory decides to step away from after the world is stripped of all its color. Now, the player must pick up the brush & fill in the blanks, a journey that brings plenty of challenges & raises quite a few fascinating questions.

Chicory: A Colorful Tale is about the process of creating art, including its reception. Picnic is filled with intriguing personalities who have their own desires, preferences, & frustrations. The gameplay largely consists of solving puzzles & exploration, both of which are h&led well by the indie title.

Shadow Of The Colossus (2018)

Team Ico’s Shadow of the Colossus is a masterpiece, & its PS3 version is part of PS Plus Premium’s Classics Catalog. For members of the Extra tier or Premium subscribers who want to avoid streaming, Bluepoint Games’ 2018 remake is also on Sony’s subscription service, & the PS4 game does justice to the original release.

Shadow of the Colossus (2018) tweaks the controls & updates the visuals, but otherwise remains true to Team Ico’s vision. Consequently, the remake is also a masterpiece of storytelling, one that takes players on an emotional journey that sticks in the mind long after the credits roll.

Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age

A remaster of the PS2 classic, Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age is the definitive way to experience this RPG, & it is also based on the International Zodiac Job System version of the game that was originally released only in Japan.

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FF12 tends to be a polarizing entry in the franchise due to its divisive protagonist & a real-time combat system that marked a significant departure from its non-MMO predecessors. While the game might take some getting used to, FF12 is an incredible JRPG that features an engrossing narrative, a brilliantly realized world, & a huge amount of content.

Until Dawn

One of the earliest exclusives to put the PS4 on the map, Until Dawn drops a group of characters in the woods & then asks players to weave their way through a terrifying story to decide who lives & dies. An interactive drama, Until Dawn‘s gameplay generally amounts to making choices & some light exploration, so this is not a horror game in the vein of Resident Evil or Outlast. Basically, this title is a must-play for people who always wanted to get more h&s-on with a slasher film.

Until Dawn would fall completely flat if it failed to craft interesting or likable characters that players genuinely care about; thankfully, the game more than manages to deliver in this area.

John Wick Hex

It is not surprising that the John Wick franchise has proven popular enough to inspire a video game adaptation, but the fact it went down the strategy route was a bit of a shocker. Keanu Reeves’ action-driven movies seem tailor-made for something similar to Shadow Warrior, & while John Wick Hex doesn’t quite scratch that itch, it is nevertheless a well-thought-out & stylish game in its own right.

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The combat system turns encounters into puzzles as players essentially plot their own action sequences which generally involve Wick dismantling plenty of enemies. John Wick Hex is a short & sweet experience, a title that will undoubtedly delight fans of the movies while also offering strategy fans something new to chew on.

Outer Wilds

Outer Wilds is an open-world game unlike any other as “playthroughs” Advance with a time limit. In this universe, the sun is about to go boom in roughly 20 minutes, causing everything to Advance to a swift end. Luckily for the player, they happen to be astronauts who are stuck in a time loop, causing them to revive with a few minutes to spare.

Each run involves visiting one of a h&ful of planets in search of new information that might shed some light on what exactly is going on. However, Outer Wilds does not just deliver an engaging central mystery but also a myriad of side content that injects this adventure with personality & heart.

MediEvil

A PS1 cult classic, MediEvil received a proper remake in 2019, l&ing on the PS4. Starring Sir Daniel Fortesque, a lionized hero whose legacy is more myth than fact, & featuring a ghoulish aesthetic fit for Halloween night, MediEvil very much feels like a modernized PS1 game, & it will Advance down to personal opinion on whether that is a positive or a negative.

Like the original version, the remake is packed to the brim with humor & colorful characters that dem& to be remembered. The gameplay is decent albeit simplistic, while the same can be said for the level design. Although a bit less “scary” than the PS1 release, the MediEvil remake’s visuals are stunning.

God Of War (2018)

What more needs to be said about 2018’s God of War? With Olympus completely mined for gods to slay, Santa Monica opted to shift focus to Norse mythology. More importantly, this new setting coincided with a change in gameplay style, including an over-the-shoulder third-person camera & a visceral combat system with some well-implemented customization options.

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The result is one of the best PS4 console exclusives & a great first entry into – hopefully – a new trilogy. This time around, Kratos has someone to protect, which adds depth to a character that had grown to be solely defined by a single emotion.

Detroit: Become Human

Detroit: Become Human continues Quantic Dream’s mission to combine movies with games, & this 2018 release is arguably the studio’s strongest effort to date. Players take control of three &roids who serve very different roles in society, & the choices made throughout the campaign will determine the fates of these (& other) characters.

Detroit: Become Human tackles some well-worn sci-fi themes like human agency & AI, & while it might not introduce anything particularly new to the genre, the game h&les these elements well. The acting is also great throughout, making it very easy to become invested in the lives of Connor, Kara, & Markus. Detroit: Become Human‘s world & visuals are immersive, while its writing tells a captivating narrative.

Gravity Rush 2

Along with the PS4 remaster of the first game, Gravity Rush 2 is one of the most underappreciated PS4 games on PS Plus Extra & Premium, & it is awesome. While beloved by a select audience, these games never quite transcended their cult statuses, which makes them perfect fits for a subscription service. Gravity Rush 2 improves upon everything that worked in the original, delivering a larger & more diverse world, exp&ed gameplay, & a more interesting storyline.

Charming, stylish, & fun, both of these games are a delight & collectively should keep someone entertained for a good few weeks.

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